Small claims won then lost?
Small claims won then lost?
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Firthv10

Original Poster:

23 posts

67 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Too long ago to put right, but I have always wondered.
Took someone to small claims court for non payment of a bill. I won the case and defendant told to pay. If no payment was given I was told to come back to court.
Nothing happened, so back we went. No real questions to either party, judge says case dismissed no further action. Looks at me and says I cannot object or even ask any more about what has gone on.
A common occurrence? or have there been some back room handshakes going on.

cologne2792

2,151 posts

155 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
My father took a customer to the small claims court back in the seventies for a colour TV he'd rented to him.
The customer hadn't paid but before the TV could be recovered, his rented accommodation burned down and he legged it with the insurance money.

My dad was out about £300 as they were expensive items back then.

So a day was taken off work, the customer wasn't required to be there but my dad was and judgment was suitably awarded.

All was good until dad asked how he was supposed to collect the money?

The reply was more or less, You're on your own there mate.

An Attachment Of Earnings was mentioned but if the customer switched jobs or had no job then, realistically no chance really.

Things have undoubtedly changed in the subsequent decades but he didn't have much faith then - probably even less now.

anonymous-user

83 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
Too long ago to put right, but I have always wondered.
Took someone to small claims court for non payment of a bill. I won the case and defendant told to pay. If no payment was given I was told to come back to court.
Nothing happened, so back we went. No real questions to either party, judge says case dismissed no further action. Looks at me and says I cannot object or even ask any more about what has gone on.
A common occurrence? or have there been some back room handshakes going on.
Yes, it happened exactly like that. Of course it did.

Panamax

9,630 posts

63 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Makes no sense to me - I've never heard of anything like it.

Regrettably "rights" and "remedies" do not always connect as well as we might like. Many famous people discover this when they are defamed (libel/slander) by mouthy fools with no money. More usually it's landlords who eventually manage to evict a tenant who's over-stayed their welcome and trashed the premises, walking away from hefty costs and obligations.

Litigation is like war. Easy to start, costly, and difficult to actually get a win.

Pro Bono

685 posts

106 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
Too long ago to put right, but I have always wondered.
Took someone to small claims court for non payment of a bill. I won the case and defendant told to pay. If no payment was given I was told to come back to court.
Nothing happened, so back we went. No real questions to either party, judge says case dismissed no further action. Looks at me and says I cannot object or even ask any more about what has gone on.
A common occurrence? or have there been some back room handshakes going on.
This doesn't make any sense.

If you got judgment it's up to you to enforce it if the defendant doesn't pay, but it doesn't involve a further hearing unless you're applying for a charging order or something similar. It's impossible for the judge to `dismiss' the case in these circumstances, as judgment has already been given.

So any chance we can have the correct version?

agtlaw

7,394 posts

235 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Set aside default judgment?

Firthv10

Original Poster:

23 posts

67 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
That is exactly what happened.
First time in court I won and defendant was told to pay. I was instructed to come back if defendant didnt pay.
No payment so returned to court, different judge. He went over the facts said no case to answer and that I couldnt ask any questions or appeal.
End of.

Aretnap

1,966 posts

180 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
When you say you "went back to court" do you mean that you applied for an enforcement order (and if so, what type), or did you try to make an entirely new claim based on the same events?

SydneyBridge

11,705 posts

187 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Has the Defendant done anything?

anonymous-user

83 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
That is exactly what happened.
First time in court I won and defendant was told to pay. I was instructed to come back if defendant didnt pay.
No payment so returned to court, different judge. He went over the facts said no case to answer and that I couldnt ask any questions or appeal.
End of.
It may be exactly as you misremember or misunderstood it, but that isn’t exactly what happened.

Feel free to come back with an honest version of events.

Firthv10

Original Poster:

23 posts

67 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
It happened as I said it did. I asked a genuine question on here to see if anyone had heard of any similar outcome of a hearing.
I did not expect to get a great ending to it all, but didnt expect to be called a liar. What would I have to gain by mis representing the facts?

anonymous-user

83 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Attention? Pity?

No one will have had a similar experience because this never happened.

HTH.

Ouroboros

2,371 posts

68 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
why do back to court, to apply for CCJ or high court.

They are specific reasons for not enforcing a debt, they wouldnt overturn a past ruling, because you wouldn't have gone back to court for that.


Ouroboros

2,371 posts

68 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
or appeal.
End of.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appeal-to-the-court-of-appeal-civil-division

''If your case was first heard in a county court or High Court, you don’t have to ask that court for permission.''

NMNeil

5,860 posts

79 months

Sunday 13th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
That is exactly what happened.
First time in court I won and defendant was told to pay. I was instructed to come back if defendant didnt pay.
No payment so returned to court, different judge. He went over the facts said no case to answer and that I couldnt ask any questions or appeal.
End of.
"The most obvious way in which individual judges are accountable is through the right of the party to the proceedings to appeal any judicial decision"
https://www.judiciary.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-j...
So his statement that you have no right of appeal seems to be B.S

Firthv10

Original Poster:

23 posts

67 months

Monday 14th February 2022
quotequote all
Thank you to all who have given this some thought.
The second time in court was for an enforcement. Whether it was that or I had filled the wrong papers in and tried the same case again ( as suggested above ). I still think I was stuffed by a back room handshake type of arrangement as they knew I had no representation and also knew ,quite rightly, that I wasnt really aware of court proceedings.
As to the un believers, you are entitled to your opinion. I know what happened, I was there.

NGee

2,930 posts

193 months

Monday 14th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
Thank you to all who have given this some thought.
The second time in court was for an enforcement. Whether it was that or I had filled the wrong papers in and tried the same case again ( as suggested above ). I still think I was stuffed by a back room handshake type of arrangement as they knew I had no representation and also knew ,quite rightly, that I wasnt really aware of court proceedings.
As to the un believers, you are entitled to your opinion. I know what happened, I was there.
Unfortunately, by your own admission, you don't. That's where the problem lies.

Electro1980

9,139 posts

168 months

Monday 14th February 2022
quotequote all
Firstly, there was no “back room dealings”. There is no way a judge would risk there career and freedom over your little debt.

Secondly, you will have received details of the judgment in writing. This will explain exactly what happened.

Thirdly, most probably the debtor asked for the judgment to be set aside, you went back to court and lost. This will all be in writing in the judgment.

Amateurish

8,274 posts

251 months

Monday 14th February 2022
quotequote all
You probably got a judgement in default. Go back and check the paperwork.

98elise

32,539 posts

190 months

Monday 14th February 2022
quotequote all
Firthv10 said:
Thank you to all who have given this some thought.
The second time in court was for an enforcement. Whether it was that or I had filled the wrong papers in and tried the same case again ( as suggested above ). I still think I was stuffed by a back room handshake type of arrangement as they knew I had no representation and also knew ,quite rightly, that I wasnt really aware of court proceedings.
As to the un believers, you are entitled to your opinion. I know what happened, I was there.
You don't have representation at a small claims court.

Nothing you are saying makes any sense.